Tabs

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

A Farm Kitchen Revealed

Chances are you'll never have a kitchen as primitive as this. . .I honestly hope not. . .but I wanted to quickly share with you a typical farm kitchen inside a shotgun house during the Great Depression. . .In fact, this one may actually be a little fancy for most families.﻿

Wheee. . .It's been quite a journey this summer getting to this point for our Fall Tours at the farm. . .One of the things I was set on was to stage COWBOY'S SHOTGUN HOUSE as a Depression Era two room home. . .pretty sparse, huh? . .Back then a kitchen was a work place. . .not a show place. . .without running water or electricity. . .Can you imagine? Well, even during the 1960s I visited inside homes such as this. . .By then they did have electricity and maybe running water from the well. . .but very basic kitchens. . .I remember them as warm and cozy--the Mom cooking or baking or canning in the same manner that my Mom prepared the food in her new and modern kitchen. . .What a difference. . .yet with the same function.

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Many finds for the room came from flea markets and junk yards. . .In fact, John took a big load of our junk to the county dump and returned with the wood-burning stove. . .I have every intention to try my hand at cooking on it one day. . .The Hoosier style cabinet top had also been discarded. . .this time on the side of the road. . .Now that was real junkin', huh?

I posted peeks for the two rooms of the shotgun house at DUNCAN FARMSTEAD if you'd like to see more. . .Since many of you don't follow that blog, I thought I'd share a few more kitchen photos here. . .Thought you might enjoy them. . .Sorry they are a little grainy. . .I had limited light since the windows haven't gone in, yet. . .had to rely on an overhead light. . .The shotgun isn't finished--that's a winter project. . .We will add walls (not all tenant house had them) and windows and a back door, but the rooms will pretty much remain set up as you see them here. . .a farm kitchen representative of the Delta during the 30s.

I love it! I see a lot of things that my mother-in-law had in her home and I brought here as I didn't want them to be tossed out. I even rescued a few more pots on the weekend to put plants in. Great job! Oh, when I was a young lass we stayed in a camp for a week with only a hand pump at the sink, an old wood cook stove,an icebox and an outhouse. There was electricity but that's it. It was a lot of fun and my mum made do. I couldn't do it today!

I love it...when can I move in? I would be totally happy with that and actually do not care for all those new fancy kitchens with stone counter tops etc. I want a cozy, homey kitchen that reflects a simpler, gentler time. Thank you!

I lived in Costa Rica a few years back in a cabin my ex and I built. The kitchen was similar. Actually almost all the kitchens in rural Costa Rica are not as "elaborate" as the one pictured. i cooked a lot of meals for a lot of people in that rustic kitchen. My Mpother in law had 12 children and cooked in kitchen similar and not much bigger than a closet. It was amazing the food she turned out.